Originally posted by MrMicrophone
Our medical and social infrastructure is , overloaded and it's time for these folks to go home or be sent home.
Exactly. It's tough for me to take a stance on this issue, one way or the other, because I have sympathy for certain parts of each side's case.
But at the end of the day, when I see under-staffed police-departments, over-worked and overflowing hospitals, medical programs running at full
capacity, prisons overflowing.... when we have all of these problems, it is not the time to be letting whoever wants in. Obviously, we cannot
realistically stop immigration, nor should we. But we need to concentrate on Americans and American issues, patching up the holes etc. We need to help
people who are already here and who didn't break the law in getting here.
I really don't think the majority of these marchers even understand the issue at-hand. It is not about recognizing immigrants' contributions and
value to our society. It is not about oppresing Mexicans
trying to get in. It is not about labeling all immigrants as criminals, which many of these protesters believe. It has nothing to do with anything
these people are in an uproar about-- at least, those that aren't just in it for the free lunch and day off from work.
It's about border-security. Plain and simple. No matter where you stand with Bush, the War on Terrorism, immigration etc. is irrelevent. The mere
idea that people can just waltz into this country just because they feel like it, without following procedure and without being checked for security
risk. What RIGHT do they have to do that?
Some will respon with "what right did the white Europeans have to invade North America in the first place?" While I can sympathize with that, it
doesn't address current reality and today's issues. Even WITHOUT the War on Terror, the notion that we don't protect our borders is absurd. It's
COMMON SENSE! Put up a FENCE!
THAT is what this issue is about. It has nothing to do with racism, when you get down to the core of it although people on both sides certainly make
it out to be.
So the only other part of the problem is what do we do with the people who are here? I say we document them all. Give them a year to turn themselves
in, get processed and be released as American citizens expected to pay taxes. Then, we go after illegals hardcore. We need to divert resources that
SHOULD be taken from the War on Terror and use them to secure both borders. It CAN be done. Then, after that initial year of amnesty, we go after all
illegals who are still here. We classify them as felons and we throw them in jail.
The only downside to this would be paying for it. As I said, we should divert some funds for whatever stash Bush and Co. has allocated for the WOT.
It's ridiculous to think that we can drop bombs that are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not millions?) but we can't spare the change to
properly secure the border which is ONE OF THE PRESIDENT'S MAIN DUTIES.
Sorry for the rant. Had to post my thoughts on this.